Documentation of the Palmour-Russell-McClure Plantation, Dawson County, Georgia

The Palmour-Russell-McClure Plantation is located on Russell Creek near the Etowah River in southeastern Dawson County, about 5 miles southeast of Dawsonville. The Etowah Water and Sewer Authority is in the process of enlarging an existing water supply reservoir on Russell Creek, which will be connected to the Etowah River with an underground water pipeline. A cultural resources survey (Benson et al. 2009) and review comments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office determined that the plantation, which includes various components of a grist mill, was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level of significance. It was further determined that the proposed undertaking would adversely affect the property. In particular, the enlargement of the reservoir's earthen dam will obliterate the upper-most 30 m of the head race to the nineteenth-twentieth century grist mill and the proposed pipeline to the river will damage much of the 40-m long tail race to the mill. During a conference on March 10, 2011, the COE, Savannah District and Georgia SHPO agreed that photographic documentation of the entire plantation complex, with a focus on the affected portions of the head race and tail race, would adequately mitigate the anticipated adverse effects. This document and attachments present the requested documentation of the plantation with a focus on the affected portions of the head race and tail race of the grist mill.

The Palmour-Russell-McClure Plantation consists of an assemblage of buildings and structures that span from the 1830s to the 1960s. Many are standing, but some are in ruins. The main house probably was begun in the 1830s, and probably was located very near where Cherokee Indian Child Toter lived in the early 1830s. In addition to the main house, which was built in several stages, the plantation includes two other dwellings, a barn, several smaller agricultural outbuildings, a family cemetery and a grist mill complex that consists of a head race, mill seat and tail race. The acreage associated with the plantation has evolved almost constantly since it was first assembled in 1833 and now consists of about 412 acres surrounding the plantation complex. A proposed historic property boundary encompasses about 61 acres.